, and,
sailing along till he saw a passage among the reefs, he laid the old
canoa into it, and then threw out the big stone, but at some distance
from the shore. On the outer reef was the wreck of a brig; her naked
ribs were above the water, and the fate of her mariners no one knew.

The next morning, after some hours spent in groping about, we
discovered the rancho of Don Vicente, distant about three miles. Here
we encountered a strong current of perhaps four miles an hour; and,
taking the wind close hauled, in a little while found that El Sol was
not likely to have a very brilliant career that day. At length we went
close in, furled sails, and betook ourselves to poles, by means of
which, after two hours' hard work, we reached the little Bay of San
Miguel, on which stood the rancho of Don Vicente. The clearing around
it was the only one on the island, all the rest being thick woods. This
bay had a sandy beach extending some distance to a rocky point, but
even here the water was discoloured by sunken reefs. In the case of a
norther it was an unsafe anchorage ground; El Sol would be driven upon
the rocks, and the captain wished to leave us on shore, and go in
search of a better harbour; but to this we objected, and for the
present directed him to run her up close; when, standing upon the bow,
and leaping with our setting poles, we landed upon the desolate island
of Cozumel.

Above the line of the shore was a fine table of land, on which were
several huts, built of poles, and thatched with palm leaves. One was
large and commodious, divided into apartments, and contained rude
benches and tables, as if prepared for our immediate occupation. Back
of the house was an enclosure for a garden, overgrown, but with any
quantity of tomatoes, ripe, wasting, and begging to be put into a
turtle soup then in preparation on board the canoa.

This rancho was established by the pirate Molas, who, escaping from
death in Merida, made his way hither. He succeeded in getting to him
his wife and children and a few Indians, and for several years nothing
was heard of him. In the mean time he laid the keel of a sloop,
finished it with his own hands, carried it to Belize, and sold it; new
subjects of excitement grew up, and, being in a measure forgotten, he
again ventured to the mainland, and left the island to its solitude.

After him Don Vicente Albino undertook to establish upon it a rancho
for the cultivation of cotton, which was broken u